#alucard's seals & restrictions

[ofwraithsandwords]

Hello! I have hellsing question that has been stewing in my head for bit. I don't think there is canon answer to it but I like your posts on hellsing on this blog and your old one! My question is do alucard's restrictions do anything to him if he defies orders? Also what would make him or cause him to want to defy an order. In series hes incompentent at his job a lot. So I could take it as order needs to very specific to get him do anything but is there a consequence if he defies an order?

Thank you for sending in this ask, anon. I'm glad that you like my rambles!

So this is a very good question and highly subjective, I think. It's as you said—there is no canon answer to this question. And since there are multiple parts to this question, I'll break it down so I can answer all of these points succinctly.

1. Does Alucard's restrictions do anything to him if he defies an order?

It's difficult to say. From what we see in the anime and manga, almost all of Alucard's orders are a simple "Search & Destroy" from Integra. That's not a whole lot to go on and leaves quite a bit of wiggle room as far as Alucard is concerned. When faced with a Brazilian SWAT team breaking down his door during their mission in Rio de Janeiro, Alucard responded by effectively slaughtering the entire force despite them being innocent humans caught between a rock and hard place. We can assume that Alucard was sent there to solely take care of the vampire that presided there and was not given any other express orders on how to conduct himself in the event of an emergency.

There was, however, the situation with him being locked up for two decades and kept in a mummified state. We can assume that the only reason why Arthur was even able to do such a thing was due to the Cromwell Invocation/Seals. Did this situation come about because Alucard's abilities were too much for the issues of Arthur's time or was it also because Alucard was finding ways to defy his orders? I don't really know. But I think it's safe to to say that while Alucard may carry out his orders, it's also very possible that he regularly did whatever he wanted within those parameters.

So to answer the question: in my opinion, yes, I do think that the restrictions would "do something" to him if he were to blatantly defy orders. But I don't think it's what most people think. I don't think they "shock" him or cause him any physical pain. In fact, I think the seals on his gloves more likely serve as constant reminders of his enslavement and the tests that Van Hellsing & Co. did to him. I think the truth of the Cromwell Invocation is that they have more of a Pavlov effect on Alucard—that he has been conditioned and brainwashed into believing that these restrictions have an iron grip on him. The abused dog that wears a shock collar will cower in fear at the sight of the collar's remote, even if the shock collar doesn't work.

2. What would make or cause Alucard to defy an order?

While Alucard typically does whatever it is that he is ordered to do, the truth is that he basically does whatever the hell he wants so long as it doesn't go against the express order he was given. He turned Seras into a vampire. He engaged in combat with Father Anderson instead of fleeing with his fledgling. He didn't lift a single finger during Luke and Jan Valentine's raid on the Hellsing manor. The list goes on. The guy is incompetent, to be sure.

As far as what would make Alucard defy an order? Honestly? I don't think he's really capable of doing that—not on his own, anyway. His brain is just a plate of rotten scrambled eggs. The one instance where he defied direct orders was when he consumed Schrödinger and he had no choice in the matter. He was over-encumbered with souls and couldn't separate himself from the three million people he devoured.

So my answer is: I don't actually think Alucard would defy an order of his own "free"* will, but under enough duress, he may have to.

* = he isn't really free, technically speaking. He's kind of more like a free-range bull. The animal thinks it's free, but they're still fenced in.

[madarasgirl]

Alucard's Clothes Headcanon

His psycho murder face gets me wet

Alu used to have real clothes tailored for him. He had an entire wardrobe of fine suits complete with cravat and silk handkerchiefs, as well has multiple sets of gloves embroidered with his restriction seals. And fedora hats. And each set of clothes lasted no more than a night in the field. Actually, they lasted no more than 5 min once Alucard went for his walks

At first, only Walter was appalled because he was supposed to clean and patch the clothes, but eventually, even Integra snapped when faced with Alucard's wardrobe budget. So she made him materialize his own clothing

His choice was between wearing clothes or having unlimited blessed ammo (Abridged Alu went on one mission in the nude just to troll Integra)

[luciferborne]

𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐖𝐀𝐘  𝐓𝐎  𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄  𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓  𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑  (  tw  for  torture  ,blood  and  gore  ) [  written  from  the  perspective  of  van  helsing  as  he  conducted  the  experiments  ]

Alucard’s  power  does  not  come  from  the  sheer  fact  of  him  being  the  progenitor  to  the  Vampire  species  ,  in  fact  there  is  evidence  that  some  of  his  power  comes  from  a  deal  with  satan  himself  ,  when  faced  with  death  as  a  man  ,  as  Vlad  Tepes  III  ,  Alucard  sold  his  soul  to  satan  and  through  black  magic  most  foul  ,  the  monster  known  as  Dracula  had  come  into  being  ,  this  creature  that  now  inhabited  the  shell  of  Vlad  Tepes  was  a  bloodthirsty  monster  ,  one  that  has  been  brought  to  heel  by  myself  and  the  harker’s  ,  upon  his  defeat  all  he  had  built  was  reduced  to  nothing  ,  the  count  begged  for  death  ,  begged  to  be  slain  ,  but  the  sins  against  god  ,  against  humanity  were  too  great  and  here  in  the  basement  of  house  hellsing  I  shall  bend  the  great  vampire  to  the  will  of  The  Hellsing’s.

𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋  𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐒:  three  seals  placed  upon  the  devil’s  body  ,  burnt  into  his  flesh  via  the  means  of  holy  water  and  blessed  silver  ,  the  pain  he  felt  as  i  branded  him  ,  slashed  him  and  marked  his  flesh  brought  me  some  sense  of  pleasure  ,  a  sense  of  great  joy.    these  seals  ,  they  are  of  the  devil  himself  and  I  have  made  the  decision  to  damn  my  soul  to  hell  to  assure  he  shall  never  rise  again...      these  seals  limit  his  power  ,  restrict  his  very  soul  to  insure  that  he  does  not  bite  the  hand  which  guides  him  ,  two  upon  his  hands  control  the  intake  and  outgoing  levels  of  power  he  can  be  allowed  ,  the  one  burnt  into  his  chest  ,  right  over  where  his  black  ,  rotten  heart  would  be  insures  his  absolute  obedience  and  loyalty  to  house  hellsing  for  all  time  ,  were  he  to  ever  defy  His  Master  ,  the  head  of  Hellsing  ,  he  will  be  rendered  powerless  ,  nothing  more  than  a  husk  ,  a  decaying  shell  hellbound  for  the  sins  of  his  mortal  life.

𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘  𝐓𝐎  𝐃𝐈𝐄:    through  some  black  magick  most  foul  I  have  rendered  the  creature  nigh  susceptible  to  the  claws  of  death  ,  through  the  rituals  and  incantations  spoken  over  his  starving  ,  hunger  stricken  form  ,  I  have  made  it  possible  where  the  beast  survives  not  only  on  the  blood  of  man  ,  but  the  very  soul  and  should  he  be  dealt  what  would  be  called  a  “    FATAL  “  wound  ,  the  monster  does  not  die  ,  but  rather  ,  a  soul  that  he  has  consumed    ,  taken  into  his  being  takes  the  death  into  themselves  !    hellsing  truly  has  a  weapon  beyond  al  measure  ,  the  world  could  be  mine  if  I  willed  it  ,  but  now  the  beast  must  be  put  through  trials  ,  tests  and  more  experiements.  He  wept  uncontrollably  when  he  found  that  he  could  no  longer  die  ,  that  he  was  confied  to  this  earth  until  armageddon  came  and  god  judged  those  on  the  earth  ,  again  this  brought  me  joy  ,  to  bring  such  misery  to  the  devil  in  human  form.

𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃  𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑  𝐀𝐍𝐃  𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑  𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍:    while  the  vampire  is  know  to  be  weak  to  a  number  of  things  ,  the  spells  ,  magick  and  power  within  the  creature  has  rendered  his  vulnerability  to  silver  ,  garlic  ,  holy  water  and  other  things  near  entirely  ,  oh  the  methods  of  horror  and  pain  I  have  inflicted  on  him  ,  testing  his  durability  ,  testing  how  much  he  could  take  ,  i  have  inflicted  the  greatest  of  tortures  upon  him  ,  dismembered  him  ,  burnt  him  beyond  all  recognition  and  still  he  persists  ,  still  he  remains  !    god  may  condemn  what  I  have  done  ,  but  the  Legacy  of  Hellsing  will  live  on  thanks  to  the  atrocities  I  have  forced  him  to  endure  ! the  rest  of  the  page  is  illegible  ,  ink  faded  by  time

[rejectedembers]

Cinder or Tinder: the Shades of Magic series

Good day or good evening. I’m going to do something unique this time and tackle three books at once. I read the Shades of Magic series by V. E. Schwab one after another back in October and November, and so I think it’s only right that the review match my experience in some way. The premise of these novels is that there exists four parallel universe Earths that are connected by magic, but are otherwise inaccessible to each other except by Antari, specially gifted magic-users who can use blood magic to travel between the worlds. 

Since I’m covering an entire series, there will be spoilers as the review goes on.

A Darker Shade of Magic introduces the two main characters and the broader situation they must later face. Kell is an Antari who travels between the worlds relaying messages from the king and queen of his homeland (Red) to the rulers of the other worlds (White and Grey). The fourth world, Black, has been consumed by magic, but one day Kell is asked to smuggle a rock from one world to the next. The rock turns out to be a malevolent piece of dark magic, and so Kell and Delilah, a thief from the Grey world, set out to return it from whence it came.

A Gathering of Shadows takes up the story a couple months later. Kell suffers the consequences of his actions and has been further restricted in his travels. Meanwhile, Lilah lives as a pirate, learning magic on the high seas. With a magicians’ tournament set to take place in the capital, the stage is set to see Kell and Lilah’s worlds come crashing back together alongside some new and familiar faces.

A Conjuring of Light resumes immediately after the end of the second book. Red London has been plunged into darkness, and the shadow king’s followers threaten to break into the palace at any moment. Everyone is trying everything they can think of to keep the palace safe and defeat the shadow king. A plan is eventually formulated, and so Kell, Lilah, Alucard, and Holland set out to retrieve an item that will help them seal away the shadow king. 

A Darker Shade of Magic is a great book. Beautifully paced, Schwab doesn’t bog this story down with unnecessary details. The settings are wonderfully described, giving you just enough that you can imagine it all on your own. The plot is also pretty focused and self-contained, making the first book almost feel like a standalone novel. This book also introduces you to Schwab’s brilliant character writing. All of Schwab’s characters feel real and interesting, and what I loved the most out of this novel was simply the various character interactions to be had. The plot is, admittedly, a little weak, but doesn’t detract much from everything else.

A Gathering of Shadows starts off very strong, but ends up teetering off at the end. Schwab introduces more worldbuilding and more characters which is always a joy with her writing, but the story starts to lose focus once the plot shifts from the magic tournament to a “save the world” type of plot, and not a very unique one, either. While the introduction of the shadow king plot doesn’t come out of nowhere, it’s simply not very exciting. The characters continue to be excellently written, however.

A Conjuring of Light continues and eventually wraps up the shadow king plot. Large parts of the book don’t really involve much happening, although it doesn’t feel empty since there is a lot of character interaction. The inclusion of the MacGuffin item makes me question if Schwab had fully planned out this book before she started writing the plot since it does feel like something that comes out of nowhere. This book also includes a lot of dark stuff happening for, seemingly, shock value. The end does wrap up very nicely, however, and results in mostly happy and satisfying endings. The main draw of this book remains its characters and the way they interact with each other.

Overall, I give the Shades of Magic series the cinder rating, although I will likely rant about this series in a later post.

[scarletvampireofchaos]

Backstory

Remilia Scarlet was born to a land-owning family near the Black Forest of southern Germany in 1502. Her sister Flandre was born in 1507. That same year, Remilia was bitten by a vampire and turned herself. After turning, a fit of uncontrolled hunger caused her to attack Flandre. Her parents caught her in time before she could do more than convert Flandre instead of eviscerate her sister. However, this caused their parents to become her target instead. Mutilating them to the point of unrecognizability.

With no living male heirs, Remilia and Flandre inherited the mansion their family owned and the surrounding lands. However, Remilia quickly realized that as her sister was turned when she was much younger, she was much more feral, and so locked her away in the basement out of fear for her life.

The Scarlets continued to live a very reclusive life, trying to keep as much attention away from themselves to avoid the likes of vampire hunters… the worst among them being the Belmont family. Things were relatively uneventful until about 1983 when a vampire hunter named Sakuya Izayoi located their mansion. She was one of the various vampire hunters who took up the task of fighting the revival of Dracula after the disappearance of the Belmont family in the late 1800s, and had heard in her travels of the so-called ‘Scarlet Devil Mansion’ and the vampire who lived there.

Sakuya, who was still relatively inexperienced in vampire hunting was defeated by Remilia, but spared as the latter liked Sakuya’s courage and offered her a position to serve in the mansion. Sakuya accepted as a way to keep tabs on Remilia and because she could honestly sense no hostility from her. Sakuya quickly rose through the ranks of the staff, eventually becoming head maid, where she was then made aware of the existence of Remilia’s younger sister Flandre, who she became quick friends with.

The next major event in the lives of those in the mansion would occur in 1998. Upon hearing rumors that the vampire killer whip had returned to the hands of the Belmont family in the form of Julius Belmont and that he alongside Alucard, were planning a siege of Dracula’s castle with an international coalition, made Remilia scared for the lives of her and her sister. So with the aid of the mansion’s mage, Patchouli Knowledge, they sought a way to flee Earth before the prophecy of 1999 would come to pass, leading them to the shores of Gensokyo.

DAWN OF SORROW Several years after arriving in Gensokyo, Remilia wondered what became of the prophecy and asked Patchouli to look into the affairs of earth. She discovered Dracula's defeat at the hands of Julius Belmont and the sealing of his castle in a solar eclipse. Patchouli also informed her of the belief that Dracula's powers could be passed onto another. This motivated Remilia to try and become Dracula's successor by inheriting his powers, and somewhat validating her claim that they were relatives. With Patchouli's aid, Remilia was able to bypass the Hakurei barrier, with Flandre coming along out of a desire to do something fun, and arrive at the Hakuba shrine in 2035, entering the eclipse along with Soma Cruz and Mina Hakuba. The two had their appearances changed slightly to look like adults as to avoid suspicion amongst anyone there. The two spent most of their time isolated from the main cast except for an encounter with an amnesiac Julius whom Flandre wanted to kill, but was stopped by her sister who smelled that he had the blood of a Belmont. Eventually, after Soma's powers awakened and he and Julius had their encounter, the sisters settled on a plan. After Soma left, they attacked and killed the injured Julius to remove him as a threat. They then killed Soma before he entered Chaos's realm, with Remilia absorbing the power of dominion from his soul. Knowing that Dracula's power was linked to the life of Chaos, they wanted to make sure he was removed so that there was no restriction on their powers. After defeating Chaos, Flandre absorbed his powers. With the collapse of the castle, the two then set about killing all who had been there, to remove any witnesses, including Alucard. Victorious, the two returned to Gensokyo with their arsenal of new abilities, including an immunity to sunlight, to secretly plan the eventual takeover of Gensokyo.